'I like the freedom,' says 86-year-old bicyclist

On a breezy day in the Clayton countryside, Madelyn L. McAvoy rolled her bike down the long driveway of her farmhouse, where she has lived since the 1940s, eager to get rolling.

"I know the day will come when I can't do it," she said as she mounted her baby blue Raleigh. "But until then, I'm not giving up."

Then she was off, making up for lost time.

Mrs. McAvoy will turn 87 on July 2. A Times reader told A Guy on a Bike about the energetic woman who lives on Crystal Springs Road and suggested that he ride along on one of her jaunts.

Her visitor was asked if he wanted to ride one of her routes, which she called "around the horn." He agreed, thinking it'd be a 10- or 15-minute ride at most.

About 45 minutes later, we were on McKeever Road, between county routes 9 and 4, rolling through a landscape of various shades of green and brown as farmers on red tractors (it must be a team color or something) plowed, mowed and raked their expansive fields under a blue sky painted with cirrus clouds.

Mrs. McAvoy took it all in, saying how fortunate she is and how being a farmer gave her an appreciation for the outdoors.

"When I get time, I just take off," she said before we set out.

She was asked about what she enjoys about riding.

"I like the freedom," she said. "I don't know, it's just wonderful! I just like being outside, I guess."

She didn't get her first bicycle until 1974, when her husband bought her one for Mother's Day. As a child, she'd never had a bike.

"We couldn't afford it," she said, noting that she grew up in the village of Clayton during the Great Depression. "I learned to ride on a girlfriend's bike in the 1930s during my high school years."

Her husband, Donald G., was a walker, an activity that Mrs. McAvoy also enjoys. Her husband died in 1996 age 80 on his daily walk to the corner of Route 12E.

Her current bike is the third one she has owned. Her three children, who all live out of state, chipped in three years ago and bought it for her when they visited, taking her to the Village Peddler in Watertown's Paddock Arcade.

Cruising down the McKeever Road, and keeping a steady pace and a straight line despite a persistent headwind, Mrs. McAvoy said the farming life was good for her and her husband. They milked about 35 cows. They sold the cows and milking equipment when they retired in 1975.

"We put three kids through college with the farm," Mrs. McAvoy said. "We must have done something right."

When she found herself alone on the farm, Mrs. McAvoy said, it became important to find other activities.

"Once the cows are gone, you have to do something to take up the slack," she said. "And when the kids are all gone, you can't mope. You've got to keep busy."

So she rides and walks. In between those activities, she gardens. And the fact that she won't touch store-bought bread also keeps her young, through kneading dough, usually whole wheat.

"I always made my own bread and still do," she said. "I got to have my toast with homemade bread."

"I guess I'm like a workaholic," she said. "I'm not a good sitter."

She takes the miles one at a time, as she deals with the bumps of growing older. She said she lost her cards partner a few weeks ago when Helen McAvoy, her sister-in-law, died at 93 at her Route 12E home.

"She was so sharp at cards," Mrs. McAvoy said. "We play Pedro — an old farmer's game. And we play to win too, I'll tell you that."

We journeyed about 14 miles during this ride "around the horn." Mrs. McAvoy said she'd like to ride more, but has to be careful of too much wind.

"I only weigh 90 pounds," she said. "I don't go out when it's too windy."

She occasionally rides the couple of miles to the village to pick up some items.

"I drive out of necessity," she said, as she served her guest a slice of homemade strawberry pie. "I wish I had more time to ride."

A Guy on a Bike is an occasional column in which the rider introduces you to people and places along roads you might easily miss. If you have a suggested ride/column idea, contact cbrock@wdt.net, or write to Chris Brock at the Watertown Daily Times, 260 Washington St., Watertown, N.Y. 13601.